Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles vs Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is an RPG game from The Game Designers Studio (2003) while Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is an RPG game from Square Enix (2013).
Quick answer: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has the higher Metacritic, 83 to 80.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
What each one is
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is filed under RPG. In contrast, Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn under RPG.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is an action role-playing video game developed by The Game Designers Studio for the GameCube. It was released in 2003 in Japan and 2004 in North America, Europe and Australia. A remastered version for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Android, and iOS was released in August 2020. A spin-off of the Final Fantasy series and beginning of the series of the same name, Crystal Chronicles was the first title in the franchise to be released for a Nintendo home console since Final Fantasy VI in 1994.
Final Fantasy XIV is a subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix. Directed and produced by Naoki Yoshida and released worldwide for PlayStation 3 and Windows in August 2013, it replaced the failed 2010 version, with subsequent support for PlayStation 4 in April 2014, macOS in July 2015, PlayStation 5 in May 2021, Xbox Series X/S in March 2024, and Nintendo Switch 2 in August 2026. Final Fantasy XIV is set in the fantasy region of Eorzea, five years after the devastating Seventh Umbral Calamity which ended the original version. In the Calamity, the elder primal Bahamut escaped from his prison, an ancient space station called Dalamud, unleashing an apocalypse across Eorzea. Through temporal magic, the player character of the original version escaped, reappearing at the start of A Realm Reborn. As Eorzea cements its recovery, the player must fend off a reignited invasion from the Garlean Empire.
Story, characters and reception
Plot
Crystal Chronicles takes place in an unnamed fantasy world inhabited by four races. The player takes control of a caravan hailing from the village of Tipa, in which members of the world's four races come together to help its mission. One thousand years before the game's events, the world's sustaining Great Crystal was shattered by a meteorite carrying an alien lifeform called the Meteor Parasite. (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu praised the game's fairytale aesthetic and unconventional treatment of the RPG genre; journalists Shane Bettenhausen, Jennifer Tsao and Kevin Gifford Electronic Gaming Monthly each gave the game high praise for its innovation in gameplay and graphical style. Eurogamer s Rob Fahey gave the game a near-perfect score, noting the clear production values and calling it "one of the best action RPGs" he played; his only… (Wikipedia)
Plot
Setting See also: Final Fantasy XIV (2010 video game) § Synopsis Final Fantasy XIV is set on Hydaelyn, a fictional world of diverse environments across multiple continents, focused on the region of Eorzea. Eorzea features four prominent city-states : Gridania, in the heavily forested Black Shroud; Ul'dah, a trade-centric sultanate in arid Thanalan; Limsa Lominsa, a thalassocracy on the island of Vylbrand; and Ishgard, an isolationist theocracy in snowy,… (Wikipedia)
Characters
The player character is an Eorzean adventurer during the Seventh Umbral Era who joins one of the Grand Companies: Gridania's Order of the Twin Adder, under Elder Seedseer Kan-E-Senna; Ul'dah's Immortal Flames, under Flame General Raubahn Aldynn; and the Maelstrom of Limsa Lominsa under Admiral Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn. Their allies include Minfilia and her Scions of the Seventh Dawn, a rebuilt Sixth Astral Era organization uniting Louisoix's Circle of Knowing… (Wikipedia)
Reception
Reception In contrast to the original version, Final Fantasy XIV has earned a generally positive reception and robust sales numbers. Prior to release, both the game's press and fans were surprised by its quality and level of polish. IGN s Charles Onyett cited many specific improvements over aspects of the initial game and recognized that "it seems like Square's doing the right things to fix the many mistakes made with Final Fantasy XIV' s original… (Wikipedia)
At a glance
| Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles | Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | — | — |
| Steam rating | — | — |
| Critic aggregate | 80/100 | 83/100 |
| Price | Unknown | Unknown |
| Install size | — | — |
| Steam Deck | Untested | Untested |
| Released | 2003 | 2013 |
| Developer | The Game Designers Studio | Square Enix |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles vs Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Final Fantasy Crystal ChroniclesRPG gameFinal Fantasy XIV: A Realm RebornRPG gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Final Fantasy Crystal ChroniclesNo descriptive tagsFinal Fantasy XIV: A Realm RebornNo descriptive tagsThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Final Fantasy Crystal ChroniclesMetacritic 80Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn ✓Metacritic 83Metacritic's critic aggregate, from the game's Wikipedia reception where it was never on Steam.
Price
Final Fantasy Crystal ChroniclesUnknownFinal Fantasy XIV: A Realm RebornUnknownRead live from Steam and subject to change.
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn takes 1 of the marked rounds to 0. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The better reviewed of the two: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (Metacritic 83)
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
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Common questions
How different are Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn in scope?
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles lists little scope data. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn lists little scope data.
Is Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn better?
Neither carries enough reviews for us to score it reliably, so we do not call a winner. The table above shows what each does have.
Which is cheaper, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn?
One or both do not have a current listed price, so a straight comparison is not possible. See the table above.
Should I get Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles or Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn?
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn has the higher Metacritic, 83 to 80. It also depends on what you want: the "which to pick" section above calls out which is cheaper, lighter on storage, better on a Steam Deck and the safer bet by weight of reviews.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
All comparisonsHow we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.